The new business, situated between Chuck E. Cheese’s pizza and Buffalo Wild Wings along Cox Road near I-85, will be open seven days a week.

The popular coffee shop opens at 5:30 each morning except on Sundays when coffee starts pouring at 6.

By 9 a.m. Friday, customers were already pulling up to the drive through while others snuggled up to their laptops inside.

Employees handed out free samples of muffins and pastries and whipped up lattes and frappucinos.

The new business will employ 25 to 30 people.

Starbucks first made its way to Gastonia by serving its coffee at the Holy Grounds coffee shop at Belmont Abbey College.

The company opened its first official retail location in Gastonia inside of Target in 2011.

The new location has seating inside and out along with a drive through. There’s free Wi-Fi, and Starbucks products line shelves within the store.

“We take great pride in being an environment where the community can come to relax, visit with each other, get work done and discuss things that are meaningful to them, and look forward to welcoming the community at our new location,” a Starbucks spokeswoman said.

You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.